Naruto was startled by the news. "Sasuke... went out to sea?"
He had people watching for Sasuke's whereabouts too, but Amegakure was a small village in a small nation. With limited manpower, he simply couldn't cover everything.
Naruto asked, "Which sea?"
Setting down his teacup, Gaara folded his arms across his chest. "Ninja from our village were escorting a merchant ship from the Land of Wind to the Land of Water when they encountered another vessel. Sasuke and someone believed to be Kabuto were aboard. When I received the report, I was concerned they might be planning to attack Kirigakure, so I notified the Mizukage and asked her to prepare..."
Naruto hesitated. Well... Sasuke shouldn't have any reason to attack Kirigakure, should he?
Still, he affirmed Gaara's decision. "You did the right thing, Gaara. We can't confirm that Sasuke intends to attack Kirigakure, but after his defeat in Konoha, he's been extremely unstable. We can't rule out the possibility..."
Naruto held his long-empty teacup, troubled. Should I assign some Anbu to investigate the Land of Water when I get back? But Obito's mysterious death and the fact that he can't be brought back through Impure World Reincarnation are still unresolved. If I divert manpower at a time like this, I'm afraid...
As a close friend, Gaara understood Naruto's predicament with a single glance. He smiled. "How about this, Naruto? I'll have Sunagakure's Anbu watch Sasuke's movements. The moment we hear anything, I'll let you know!"
Naruto hesitated. "Wouldn't that... be asking too much? Sunagakure's Anbu have their own duties. They shouldn't be distracted by my problems!"
But Gaara said, "This isn't just for you. Sasuke's movements concern the stability of the Shinobi World. Now that Sunagakure knows about it, how could we fail to take it seriously?"
After hearing that,